Times Have Changed. Is Your Brand Identity Keeping Up?
With the news hitting recently that MasterCard is dropping the name from its logo, you may be thinking about your own organization’s branding and how it holds up in today’s marketplace. And it’s well worth thinking about, considering MasterCard is only the latest in a growing list of dominant brands to make notable changes. American Express, Dunkin’ Donuts, and Dupont all updated their brand identities last year, each citing the need for a more contemporary look and feel. So if it’s been a while since your brand identity received a little nip/tuck, now is the time to do it. Here’s why.
But First…
Although modernizing your brand identity is crucial for success, there’s one major caveat: don’t ignore the history and equity already built into it. What made updates from brands like American Express and Dupont so successful was their ability to maintain their brand’s legacy. They implemented a brand evolution, not a revolution.
So if you’re ready to give your brand identity a refresh, remember to honor its history and heritage. Just do it with a contemporary spin that allows it to adapt and stand out in today’s world.
Have You Met Digital?
It almost seems redundant to mention the influence of digital – we’ve heard it hundreds of times before – but the reality is it’s the biggest driver for change today. And as it continues to dominate as the preferred medium for consumer engagement, it’s essential to have a brand identity that easily adapts to all digital contexts – both functionally and aesthetically.
If your assets are difficult to scale-down, become illegible on a mobile screen, or feel clunky in a micro-setting like a social media post, you’re sacrificing the opportunity to appeal to consumers in the environment where they most want to be appealed to.
Everything Is Connected
While digital viability remains one of the strongest reasons for an enhancement, this doesn’t give a free pass to create something that only looks good in a digital setting. The reality is your brand needs to come across strong on every platform; it must look as sharp in a tangible, physical environment as it does on a mobile app.
With consumers engaging with brands across multiple touch-points, you must give an impression of your brand that is as cohesive as it is compelling. Reinvigorating your identity for cross-platform optimization ensures your brand will stand out and cast the right impression in every context.
Blink And You’ll Miss It
Today’s consumers are constantly bombarded with information and our attention spans are dwindling as a result. This means your brand identity needs to cut through and appeal immediately. It needs to convey in an instant the very essence of your organization and all that it represents, especially as that stands today.
Many brands have stuck with an identity that no longer does justice to the evolved value they provide. Perhaps your organization’s brand identity was developed when it operated in a much smaller geographical area. Or at a time when brands were expected to be conservative and restrained. These days, however, expectations are very different. Consumers want brands to be much more personable; to be more than just an entity from where they purchase products or services. They turn to brands for education, advice, entertainment, and to solve a myriad of problems. And if your brand identity doesn’t have the quality or substance to convey its aptitude in achieving all this, then it’s time to breath new life into it so that it does.